Start of construction for new biotech centre in Dresden-Johannstadt

Dresden, 4 September 2023. In order to facilitate biotech start-ups and other life science ventures, a second bioinnovation centre („BioZ 2) will be built in Dresden-Johannstadt for 18 million euros by mid-2025. The first symbolic spades for the four-storey building were driven into the sand today by Lord Mayor Dirk Hilbert (FDP) and other stakeholders on Fiedlerstrasse opposite the university hospital.

Laboratories, clean rooms, workshops and offices on four floors

The new technology centre is being built on the site of an old building that has since been demolished, where the education authority used to work – it has since moved to Ammonstra&l;e. BioZ 2 will comprise 4100 square metres of offices, clean rooms, laboratories and workshops for young life science companies. These start-ups often need a very special infrastructure to further develop their biotechnological, medical or pharmaceutical products. And this is precisely what makes the special offer that start-ups prefer to take advantage of in the municipal technology centres, says Torsten Fahrig, Managing Director of the operating company „Technologiezentrum Dresden“. And this also includes the proximity to the biosciences campus in Dresden's Johannstadt district, where short distances to the university hospital, the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) and many other life sciences research institutions dominate.

BioZ 1 has been fully booked for years

All this had already made the first bioinnovation centre on the Tatzberg a sought-after location. But the BioZ 1 has long been fully booked, explains Fahrig. That is why a second BioZ was long overdue, emphasises Mayor Hilbert. „The demand is greatß.“ Fahrig's predecessor Bertram Dressel will take care of ensuring that the new centre is completed on time: The senior has already given the TUD office business, but still wants to accompany the completion of BioZ 2.

The BioZ 2 will be operated by TZD GmbH, which in turn is owned by the city, TU Dresden and Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden. In addition to the new and the old BioZ in Johannstadt, this holding company also owns the Technologiezentrum Süd on Gostritzer Straße, the Technologiezentrum Nord on Manfred-von-Ardenne-Ring, the Nanoelektronik-Zentrum on Maria-Reiche-Straße in Klotzsche and, together with a private investor, the Universelle Werke Dresden on Zwickauer Straße.

Article of the "Oiger" from 04/09/2023